THE WHITETHEOAT. 131 



be infused a spice of anger against the intruder. * Its food 

 consists of insects of various kinds ; but when the smaller 

 fruits begin to ripen, it repairs with its young brood to our 

 gardens, and makes no small havoc among raspberries, cur- 

 rants, and cherries. It constructs its nest among brambles 

 and nettles, raised from two to tliree feet from the ground, 

 of bents and the dry stems of herbs, mixed with cobweb, 

 cotton from the willow, bits of wool, and horsehair. It 

 usually lays five eggs. 



THE LESSER WHITETHEOAT. 



CURRUCA SYLVIELLA. 



Head and lore dark ash-grey ; rest of the uj>per parts greyish ash, tinged with 

 brown ; wings brown, edged with ash-grey ; tail dusky, outer feather as in the 

 last, the two next tipped with white ; lower parts pure silvery white ; feet 

 deep lead colour. Length five inches and a quarter. Eggs greenish white, 

 spotted and speckled, especially at the larger end, with ash and brown. 



Gilbert White in his charming history says, "A rare, 

 and I think a new little bird frequents my garden, which 

 I have very great reason to think is the Pettichaps ; it is 

 common in some parts of the kingdom ; and I have 

 received formerly dead specimens from Gibraltar. This 

 bird much resembles the Whitethroat, but has a more 

 white, or rather silvery breast and belly ; is restless and 

 active, like the Willow- wrens, and hops from bough to 

 bough, examining every part for food ; it also runs up the 

 stems of the crown-imperials, and, putting its head into the 

 bells of those flowers, sips the liquor which stands in the 

 nectarium of each petal. Sometimes it feeds on the ground 

 like the Hedge-sparrow, by hopping about on the grass 

 plots and mown walks." The little bird of which the 

 amiable naturalist gives so interesting a description, was, 

 there is little doubt, that which is now called the Lesser 



* This night song is rarely heard except in the months of May 

 and June. 



K 2 



